Creatively Seeking Employment

Finding employment in the U.S. is incredibly important to a refugee’s self-sufficiency.  With the competition for jobs stronger than ever, IRC in Baltimore’s employment team are always seeking creative ways to help refugees land that first job.
 
Promoting Volunteerism
November’s Professional Pathways workshop focused on encouraging refugees to seek volunteer opportunities as a way to build their skills and make connections in the community.  Refugees were eager to put this advice to practice and participated in a bulb and flower planning project organized by the Southeast Community Development Corporation.   It turned out that the refugees did most of teaching in this project according to a community volunteer who blogged about her experience learning planting skills from the refugee volunteers. 
 
Community volunteers also serve an important role in preparing refugees for employment.  At the most recent resume workshop, volunteers from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health worked one on one with refugees to develop their resumes. These students will return to help refugees complete online job applications in the next workshop.
 
Building Employer Relationships
IRC in Baltimore’s newest employer relationship is with Panda Express.  IRC is particularly excited about working with Panda Express because the company has a strong history of promoting employees who show a strong work ethic.  The success of IRC’s employment team in building employer relationships has helped refugees find their first jobs with companies such as Under Armour, Marriott Hotels, Subway, and STX Lacrosse. If you know of any employers that require reliable, loyal, and hard-working employees, please contact Jamie Spitzer, Employment Advocate, at 410.558.3167 or Jamie.Spitzer@theIRC.org.